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7.09.2013

Beauty Haul from the US of A

The problem with being an avid reader of beauty blogs (ditto for magazines) and having an unstoppable, enormous appetite for beauty treats is this: I'll forever have a long beauty list as long as a giraffe's neck. The sequence of events goes something like this: I click on a blog post. I read. I'm persuaded. I add it on. I buy. I fall hard. It's a dangerous, highly addictive never ending cycle, hardcore beauty addicts are all too familiar with.

But see that's not even the worse part. What's worse is wanting a product you can't easily purchase because there are thousands of miles, standing in the way. Of course, you can turn to online shopping in sheer desperation because most brands now ship worldwide but for me, nothing beats a first person contact with the actual product or 10 ;) . Swatching the shades available, picking up the product, handing your hard earned cash to the sales assistant (not the best bit obvs). Carrying your latest buy like a baby on the way home in a new shiny paper bag while you have the biggest smug on your mug. Resisting the urge to do a happy dance. Hey, it happens :)

So the next best thing? Have someone you know/ a relative purchase the products for you. Momma goes to Florida, daughter gives her a drugstore beauty list , containing all the beauty bits, I can't get a hold of in Ireland. Sounds about right. Because I've wanted all these American beauty goodies , a whole century ago. Now let's get on with the good stuff.

Eyes wise, I was only interested in mascaras because lately, I've been noticing how overpriced mascaras are over here in Ireland. Cosmetics are generally overpriced here because a majority of brands seem to think that , they can charge us ladies (about 30 to 40% more than our US friends. grr) and we'll still purchase it. Most mascaras now retail for 15-16 euro each in Boots. For a drugstore brand, that ain't cheap. So I purchased 3. Covergirl Lash Blast Mega Volume Mascara (800 Very Black) ($7.64/ less than 6 euro) is one of those highly hyped about product amongst beauty bloggers. I think it's one of those mascaras, every blogger would've given a try at some point and now it's my turn. With a promise that it'll give me an ultimate big-lash look and instant volume and fullness? Give me some of that.

Covergirl Clump Crusher (800 Very Black) ($8.99/ less than 7 euro) claims to give 200% more volume and zero clumps. No clumps, really? Count me in. I can't wait to put it to the test.

Amelia is one of my favourite beauty blogger and so when she recommendedL'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara ($6.79/ less than 6 euro) for achieving that extra oomph of volume ,once combined with another mascara , I had to test it out. Now all I need is Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill . Rumour has it that Kim Kardashian's make-up artist uses this a lot. Surely that's the only reason I needed to give Carbon Black a whirl? Kim K's luscious, full lashes? Yes please :)

Need I go on? Can we all admire the cuteness? The adorable, egg shaped cuties that are the EOS Lip Balms ($2.97 each/ less than 2 euro) caught my eye from the very first time I saw Whitney Port slathering it on her puckers. I chose Strawberry Sorbet and Honeysuckle Honeydew . The strawberry sorbet because who hates strawberries? And honeysuckle honeydew because I love me some juicy melons. I love the packaging. Finally a hygienic option. No more dipping in fingers into a pot. Just roll and smooth it on. It's also formulated with shea butter and jojoba oil to lend a helping hand in conditioning my lips. And no parabens? LOVE.

American beauty bloggers, I blame the whole lot of 'em for these purchases. The much loved/ highly praised Milani Baked Blushes ($7.05/ less than 7 euro) are no strangers to the beauty community. They've been raved about countless of times for their amazing pigmentation, ability to add a beautiful luminosity on the cheeks and their overall, lovely smooth texture. I've been crushing on Luminoso for over 2 years now, ever since Tiffany (one of my all time favourite beauty blogger) raved about it. A light peachy pink with beautiful tiny gold shimmers? Glowy cheeks be mine :) And as a lover of all things coral, I couldn't ignore the beautiful bright Corallina now could I? Momma just couldn't stay away. Tried it on today and this girl's in lurve. ;)

And finally the most exciting part of the haul (who am I kidding? I was hella excited to finally get my mitts on all the products mentioned in this post) Maybelline Color Whispers in Orange Attitude, Cherry On Top, Coral Ambition and lastly, Who Wore It Red-er . When I found out that Maybelline were releasing their very own lipstick/lipgloss/lipbalm hybrid I couldn't wait to find out how they compare to the Revlon Lip Butters and L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipsticks (I only have 1 shade from each brand) and without knowing if I'd like them or not, I went ahead and purchased 4 shades from Maybelline. Just like any other sane person would do, if they were in my place. I don't know when these babies will eventually find their way into Boots/Superdrug over this side of the world. Plus I know these are bound to be more expensive here (I presume they'll be 10-11 euro a pop) so why not be greedy eh? For $6.34 each/less than 6 euro - I just had to.

As always, I'll be writing a review on all of these products in due course. To bring you the lowdown on what's hot and what's not about them. So keep your peepers open for that. In the meantime, I'm off to put them under the beauty microscope and trust me, I ain't missing even the tiniest detail. :)

4 comments:

How exciting to get your hands on some goodies that you've wanted to buy but couldn't because they weren't available where you live. Lots of well-reviewed and well-loved products that I'm sure you'll love :)

Oh my gosh, Diane I am so jealous. I've been wanting to try those EOS lip balms for so long, gonna have to look online or ebay or something! Wouldn't mind trying some Cover Girl mascara either, but I can get that through Max Factor.

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